In a world where technology is constantly advancing, a natural question arises: how it is affecting human lives? A simple look through history will show plenty of examples of human behavior and opinions changing across time. With both technology and humanity constantly growing and evolving, it is pretty easy to assume that the most recent changes in human behavior can easily correlate to the advancement in technology. The topics that this essay will go over in order to provide evidence for that statement, are discussions such as technology in schools, our daily lives, as well as how human thought is affected by the presence of such large amounts of computing devices that we have in our society today. The first topic of discussion is technology
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The biggest device that poses a routine entrance into the lives of people, are cell phones. From a shockingly low age, seeing how there are pre-teens who feel the same way, many people agree that they could not function without their cell phones for a very long time. Even in gatherings, people choose to cast aside interactions with those around them, in place of answering texts or scrolling through social media. It has come to a point where social interactions are mainly done online, even when a person is surrounded by other people in their physical life. Clifton F. Guthrie, from the Department of Science and Humanities at Husson University, brings up a particular study about this, writing, “We exist now in a layered somatic environment in which our bodies are present in two or more communities at the same time”(330). What Guthrie means by this is that while a person may be physically in their home or workplace, through technology, it is possible for them to be in multiple places at once. The rise of virtual worlds on the internet, in forms of online interactive games, chat rooms, and social media; it is easy to leave your physical reality behind in place of a more magical or imaginary world. If somebody wanted to, they could be anything they wanted to be online, act out their wildest fantasies, and all without having to leave the comfort of their homes. …show more content…
While this might not be as common of a topic as the others, there is definitely a correlation between the advancement of technology, and the evolution of human thought. The more a person learns about the science behind technology, the easier it is to apply it to everyday thinking. As an example of this, Turkle discusses a statement made in one of her classes. Turkle states, “An explanation in terms of meaning had become an explanation in terms of mechanism”(722), while discussing a student’s response to Freudian slips. While true that technology does process information differently than the human brain, there are a lot of similarities that are capable of tying the two together. This should not be surprising, considering that technology came from humans. Professor Barry Schwartz from the Department of Psychology at Swarthmore College, explains that, “If we understand the concept of technology broadly, as the use of human intelligence to create objects or processes that change the conditions of daily life, then it seems clear that ideas are no less products of technology than are computers”(21). Considering the already close relationship of ideas and technology, it is hardly surprising that humans are beginning to rationalize typical human behavior with elucidations of technology. It is human nature to look for
The biggest device that poses a routine entrance into the lives of people, are cell phones. From a shockingly low age, seeing how there are pre-teens who feel the same way, many people agree that they could not function without their cell phones for a very long time. Even in gatherings, people choose to cast aside interactions with those around them, in place of answering texts or scrolling through social media. It has come to a point where social interactions are mainly done online, even when a person is surrounded by other people in their physical life. Clifton F. Guthrie, from the Department of Science and Humanities at Husson University, brings up a particular study about this, writing, “We exist now in a layered somatic environment in which our bodies are present in two or more communities at the same time”(330). What Guthrie means by this is that while a person may be physically in their home or workplace, through technology, it is possible for them to be in multiple places at once. The rise of virtual worlds on the internet, in forms of online interactive games, chat rooms, and social media; it is easy to leave your physical reality behind in place of a more magical or imaginary world. If somebody wanted to, they could be anything they wanted to be online, act out their wildest fantasies, and all without having to leave the comfort of their homes. …show more content…
While this might not be as common of a topic as the others, there is definitely a correlation between the advancement of technology, and the evolution of human thought. The more a person learns about the science behind technology, the easier it is to apply it to everyday thinking. As an example of this, Turkle discusses a statement made in one of her classes. Turkle states, “An explanation in terms of meaning had become an explanation in terms of mechanism”(722), while discussing a student’s response to Freudian slips. While true that technology does process information differently than the human brain, there are a lot of similarities that are capable of tying the two together. This should not be surprising, considering that technology came from humans. Professor Barry Schwartz from the Department of Psychology at Swarthmore College, explains that, “If we understand the concept of technology broadly, as the use of human intelligence to create objects or processes that change the conditions of daily life, then it seems clear that ideas are no less products of technology than are computers”(21). Considering the already close relationship of ideas and technology, it is hardly surprising that humans are beginning to rationalize typical human behavior with elucidations of technology. It is human nature to look for